If the disclosure is caused by the designer, the novelty grace period is 12 months from the date of disclosure.
3 months
25 years
- via Paris Convention : 6 months from earliest priority date.
- Hague Agreement route: 6 months from earliest priority date.
- EU appearance route: 6 months from the earliest priority date.
Reinstatement of priority is accepted on grounds of "due care."
yes. Before the applicant has received a final decision, an application to change the type of invention from a utility model to an invention may be proposed.
20 years
12-14 months
INPI only conducts formality examination of utility model patent applications. Substantive examination may only be requested if the applicant deems it necessary. An invention protected by a patent can be protected simultaneously or successively with a utility model. To this end, applicants have a maximum of 1 year to make changes.
- via Paris Convention : 12 months from earliest priority date.
- via Nationalization of PCT : 30 months from the earliest priority date.
no